And the Days Flu By
by Rackuhn
Summary: ‘Tis the season for this kind of story and if the title don’t give it away, ya better just read the story.
1. Chapter 1

And the Days Flu By

By Rackuhn

Disclaimer: This story is written only to torture the characters (especially my favorite) not for money.

**Chapter 1: Welcome Home**

Bo Duke's misery all started the day when he came home from a three-day fishing trip he had taken with a friend of his. It was still early morning as Bo watched his friend's truck drive down the road, waving back when he heard the sound of the horn bidding him farewell. He walked to the house with his stringer of fish, gear, and his duffle bag only to find that everything was quiet, much too quiet. Seeing that the General, Dixie, and Jesse's truck were all parked out front, he knew that everyone else should be home. He swallowed down his uneasiness while he placed his fish and gear on the porch, and then headed inside to a quiet house, walking down the hallway towards the bedrooms. Coming to his uncle's door, he dropped the duffel bag he still carried in the hallway, quietly knocked and entered to find that Uncle Jesse was covered up to his chin with several blankets and a thick quilt.

"Uncle Jesse?" Bo softly called out as he moved over to the side of the older man's bed.

Jesse stirred and slowly opened his glassy eyes and looked around in confusion until he saw his nephew's face. "Bo?"

"Yeah, it's me, Uncle Jesse," Bo said with a smile. "I just got home. Are ya okay?"

"I'm fine," Jesse answered hoarsely, causing Bo to frown in concern.

Sitting down on the side of the bed he gave his uncle a questioning look. "Where's Luke and Daisy?" The youngest Duke could see that his uncle wasn't up to his usual chipper self being that he was pale and sweaty, so he quickly reached out a hand to checked Jesse for a fever and frowned slightly when he felt how hot the man was.

"Daisy's in her room," Jesse answered as he swatted Bo's hand away. "She came down with the flu the day before and Luke and I have been takin' care of her. Haven't seen Luke yet. What time is it?"

Bo quickly scanned the room for the clock. "It's just after eight thirty."

"Eight thirty? The day's half gone. I better get movin'." Jesse started to get up only to be pushed back down by Bo.

"You just relax, Uncle Jesse," Bo ordered. "I don't think that you're up ta doin' anything at the moment. I think ya done caught Daisy's flu."

Jesse scowled back at Bo. "Nonsense boy, I ain't been sick a day in my life," he grumbled and tried to sit up again only to start coughing loudly, while Bo gently pushed him back down onto the bed. Jesse closed his eyes as he lay there wishing that the room would stop spinning. It was then he realized that his nephew was right and that he wasn't feeling up to par.

"Luke and me will take care of things until ya get better. He's probably in the barn already takin' care of things there."

Jesse sighed and closed his eyes. "I suppose you're right. I don't think I'll be much help right now anyhow."

"You get some rest. Is there anythin' I can get ya ta eat or drink?"

"Naw, I'm okay for now. Don't feel like eatin' right now anyhows."

"Alright, I'll check on Daisy and after that, I'll get you two some tea," Bo smiled again, only to realize that his uncle was already asleep.

Bo quietly left the room and headed over to Daisy's door. Knocking lightly, he pushed the door open to see Daisy curled up on her side. "Hey Daisy, ya awake?" he softly asked as he entered her room and stood beside her bed. He saw that she was sleeping soundly and that she still looked kind of pale. Bending over, he reached out to place his hand on her head and noted that she was still warm but not as bad as Jesse.

"Obviously, you're still not feelin' good," Bo sighed quietly as he pushed her hair off of her face. He started heading back towards the door when he heard a soft voice calling out his name. Turning back, he saw Daisy's blue eyes staring at him.

"Hey Daisy," Bo said as he knelt down beside her bed.

"Hey," she answered tiredly.

"Not feelin' too good yet, huh?" Bo asked as he ran his hand over her hair in a comforting manner.

"'Fraid not. When'd ya get back?"

"Just a little bit a go. Heard ya were sick though so I thought that I'd come and check up on ya."

"Thanks," Daisy replied weakly as the strength that she had began waning.

"Ya just relax and I'll bring ya some tea in a bit, okay?"

"Okay," she answered as she fell back to sleep.

Bo knelt there for a few more moments smiling at his sleeping cousin. Getting up, he headed back out the door and picked up his duffle bag that he had dropped down earlier. He then went to his own room and opened the door only to stop when he noticed that Luke was still sleeping in his bed. Throwing his bag to the side, he went over to his cousin's bed and reached out his hand, feeling for the fever that he knew his cousin would have. Bo groaned when he realized that if Luke too was still in bed, that none of the morning chores had been done yet.

"Bo?"

The blonde haired man jumped when he heard his name called out. Looking down at Luke, he saw that his cousin was awake but his eyes had a glazed look to them. "Hey Luke, how ya feelin'?"

"Definitely been better," Luke answered in a gruff voice. "When'd ya get back?"

"A few minutes ago. Billy and I caught some nice fish. You'll have ta go with us next time."

Luke smiled and closed his eyes. "I'll do that." Suddenly, Luke's eyes flew open. "What time is it?"

Bo looked down at his cousin with a stern look. "Time for you ta stay in that bed and get some more rest, you're sick."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's why ya look like death warmed over. Don't ya worry, I'll take care of things."

"How's Daisy and Jesse?"

"They're both under the weather, but like I said, don't worry, I'll handle things." Before Bo could say anything else, Luke was throwing off his covers and pulling himself up. "Whoa there, cousin. Ya just lay back down." Luke found himself struggling against Bo's grip and losing badly.

"You're gonna need help. Ya can't do everythin' and take care of us too."

"There's really not that much ta do right now especially since harvestin' time is over, and it'll be a lot easier if you stay right here in bed that way I won't have ta worry about ya fallin' down," Bo argued back as Luke gave him a skeptical look. "Really Luke, I'll handle it. Only the basics need ta be done around here right now."

"What about fixin' the barn roof or the fence that ya knocked over the other day? Not ta mention the chicken coop needs ta be rebuilt."

"All of that can wait until you, Daisy, and Uncle Jesse are better. I'll just make sure that the animals are taken care along with the three of you."

"Are ya sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. Ya just lie back down and get better. Like I told Jesse and Daisy, I'll bring ya some tea in a little bit. So just rest and quit worryin'." Bo finally got Luke to lie back down and covered up and he smiled when he saw that his cousin was quickly falling asleep. Bo stood up and sighed. "All right Bo Duke, time to take care of things around here." Quietly as he could, he left his room and headed towards the kitchen.

* * *

The morning started out less than spectacular in Bo's opinion. The first thing he did was start the water to brew three cups of tea for his cousins and uncle and made toast for each of them…three times…before he finally got the toaster set to where it wouldn't make charcoal briquettes. He knew that his cooking skills were limited but he figured that even he couldn't mess up making toast that badly…boy was he wrong. Once he got everyone settled back into bed, himself fed, and the breakfast dishes washed up, he headed outside to the barn to start the chores that normally would have been taken care of by now.

First thing he did was grab a basket and head out to gather up the eggs. He was doing fine until the chickens started giving him a hard time by pecking at his fingers as he reached for the hen fruit. "Come on girls, we do this every mornin'. Why are ya being such a pain for me today?" he complained as he put a finger in his mouth after having it pecked. "You weren't the ones I used to chase when I was little." He continued gathering the eggs, dropping three of them because of the ornery chickens, and almost dropping the entire basket itself. "Keep this up and I won't feed ya," he warned as he shook his hand after another disgruntled chicken took its aggressions out on him.

After placing the eggs in the refrigerator, he quickly checked on his charges and found that they were all still sleeping soundly. Heading back out to the barn, he went over to the group of goats to grab Sadie, the only one who needed milking and almost had her in his hands when she ran away from him. "Now don't ya start!" Bo shouted as he ran after her. Finally cornering her, he tied her off so that she couldn't escape again, and began milking her.

Fifteen minutes later, he finished up and was putting her back into the pen when one of the other goats escaped. "Nelson, get back here!" Bo yelled out as he chased after the runaway goat. Nelson discovered he didn't like the game he was playing with the human and decided to let Bo know it. After eluding Bo for the third time, Nelson quickly turned around and butted Bo in the back of his legs causing him to fall flat on his face. "Now whatcha go and do that for?" he yelled out as he turned over and glared at the critter. Nelson stared back at him with a look of satisfaction on his face. "Keep that up and I'll trade ya in for a newer, nicer model," Bo threatened as he stood up, rubbing his offended backside. "And don't expect anythin' extra in your feed today," he grumbled. Moving quickly, Bo was finally able to capture the wayward goat and placed him back into the pen. Taking the pail of milk he headed back towards the house to empty it into the pitcher and place it in the refrigerator for later.

Wanting to make sure that the rest of his family didn't need anything, he quickly peeked in on Jesse and then Daisy and found them sleeping soundly, but when he went to see how Luke was doing, he found his cousin lying on the floor instead of his bed. Rushing to his cousin's side he turned Luke over and found that he was awake and shivering violently. "Luke, what are ya doin' out of bed?"

"Ya need help," Luke answered weakly.

"And I told ya before, you'll be more help ta me if ya just stay in bed."

Luke looked around in confusion as Bo sat him up. "How'd I get down here?"

"Ya fell down," Bo grunted out as he picked Luke up and place him back into his bed. "It's also called not listenin' ta those who told ya ta stay in bed," Bo huffed as he covered his cousin back up. "Now do me a favor and stay there."

"But I can help ya," Luke tiredly said.

"Not in the condition you're in. Now stay in that bed and get some rest and I'll check on ya in a little bit. Understood?" Bo sighed and shook his head as he noticed that his cousin had fallen asleep on him. "Oh yeah, you'd be a big help," he chuckled to himself.

Quietly leaving the room, he headed back to the barn pulling "Millie" the cow out of her stall to be milked. "Come on girl, your turn," he told the beast as he patted her on the rump. "Sorry I'm late this morning girl, but a few things came up." Tying her to a nearby post, he grabbed the stool once again and sat down placing the bucket underneath the old cow. Finally getting a rhythm going, he soon had the bucket half full when a tail smacked him in the side of the head.

"Ow! Millie, that hurts!" he yelled out while rubbing offended spot. "Stop it now."

A few minutes later, WHACK! "Millie, cut it out now," he hollered again. "What is with all of you today? Keep this up and I'll just let y'all fend for yourselves." Bo knew it was silly arguing with a bunch of barnyard animals, especially when Millie turned her head and just looked at him like he was crazy. He couldn't help shaking his head at what he just said and had just settled back down to milking her again when, WHACK! "I give up," Bo grumbled as he just continued to milk the cow, trying hard to ignore the tail that kept smacking the side of his head.

* * *

Seeing that it was getting close to lunchtime, Bo finished up the milking and headed back inside placing the whole bucket directly into the refrigerator to deal with it later. He then stood there looking at the food that was being kept cool and realized that there was nothing that his uncle or cousins would be able to eat, especially with all of them complaining about being nauseous.

"Great. What can I make them that won't end up makin' them sicker or kill all of 'em?" he asked himself as he remembered his early morning attempts at making toast.

Walking around the kitchen, opening cupboard doors as he went along, he finally came across a couple of cans of the same kind of soup. Pulling them out, he carefully read the directions so as not to poison his family, and soon had the soup heating on the stovetop. "Hey, maybe I can cook after all," he chuckled to himself. After preparing three trays for soup and tea, something else he was proud about being able to do without messing up, he carefully grabbed one tray and headed to Daisy's room.

Quietly knocking, he entered and placed the tray on the nightstand and turned to wake her up. He was surprised when he saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at him. "Hey Daisy. Feelin' better?"

"A little," she smiled back.

"Hope you're hungry, I brought ya some lunch," Bo said with his own smile.

Daisy looked up at him with a shocked look on her face. "You made lunch?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I made lunch," Bo answered, slightly hurt by her accusing tone then realized that she was joking with him. "Well, I least was able ta open the cans without cutting my fingers on the lids."

"Thought so," Daisy chuckled. "Help me up." Bo got Daisy into a sitting position and carefully placed the tray on her lap. Taking the spoon, she stirred the soup and slowly raised it to her mouth, hesitating slightly, before placing it in her mouth and swallowing. Peeking up at Bo, who had an expectant look on his face, she smiled back in pleasure. "This is good, Bo." She laughed when she saw the look of relief upon his face. "See, you're not just a pretty face, ya can cook too."

"I don't know about the cooking part," Bo chuckled back. "It only took me three tries this morning before I managed ta make a decent piece of toast."

"Oh Bo," Daisy laughed back as she took another spoonful."

"Hey listen, I'll be back in a few minutes. I have ta take Uncle Jesse and Luke their soup."

"Luke? What's wrong with Luke?"

"Same thing as you…the flu."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. Let me finish this up and I'll give ya hand."

"Now don't you start."

"Start what?"

"Wanting ta help me," Bo explained. "I've already had ta put Luke back ta bed earlier 'cause he wanted ta help. He ended up on the floor instead."

"But I'm feelin' better," she argued.

"That may be true, but you're still not one hundred percent yet and like I told Luke, you'll be a bigger help ta me if ya just stay in bed."

"But…"

"No buts," he countered as he pointed his index finger at her. "Just eat your soup and drink your tea and then get some more rest. I'll be fine."

"Are ya sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he smiled. "I've got everythin' under control."

"All right, if you're sure."

"I am. Now I've got ta get the others their soup. Be back in a few."

"Thanks Bo."

"For what?"

"Takin' care of us even though you've never had ta do anythin' like this before."

"Hey, that's what family is for," he smiled as he headed out the door.

After placing bowl of hot soup and a cup of tea on another tray, he entered Uncle Jesse's room. Placing the tray to the side, he gently woke his uncle and helped him to sit up. "It's not much, Uncle Jesse, but it's the best that I can do," Bo shrugged sheepishly as he placed the tray on Jesse's lap.

"I'm sure it's just fine," Jesse smiled up at his youngest.

"Well, Daisy at least thought so." He watched as Jesse took a few spoonfuls of soup and smiled when his uncle turned to him with a surprised look on his face.

"Boy, this is some of the best soup I've ever had," Jesse commented proudly.

"Yeah, not bad for canned soup."

"Now ya stop that. Even if it did come out of can, ya made it with love and that's what makes it so good."

"Thanks Uncle Jesse," Bo answered, bowing his head, slightly embarrassed. "Oh, I better go get Luke's soup ta him."

"Luke?" Jesse asked as he eyed his youngest suspiciously.

"Yeah, he's sick too."

"Well who's helpin' ya?"

"Nobody, but don't ya worry, I can handle things."

"Just let me finish…"

"No sir, Uncle Jesse."

Jessed turned a surprised face to his youngest. "What do ya mean "No Sir"?"

"You tryin' ta help me when ya can't even stand. Like I told Luke and Daisy, y'all will help me by stayin' in bed 'til ya get better."

"I am better."

"Don't try ta shuck and jive me, Uncle Jesse. I can see that ya still don't feel good and like ya always threaten me with, I'll tie ya ta the bed just ta keep ya there."

Jesse looked at his nephew and saw that he meant it. "All right, all right, ya win. I'll stay in bed. But if ya need me for anythin', ya make sure ya come and get me." Bo knew that it was an order when Jesse made sure to point his finger at him.

"Yes sir," Bo smiled triumphantly, somewhat shocked that his threat actually worked. "Now I'll be back ta fetch those dishes in a little bit and ya remember ta stay in that bed and rest," he said as he headed towards the door and quickly ducked out before Jesse could say anything.

Finally making it to his and Luke's room with the last tray, he pushed opened the door to find Luke back on the floor again. Groaning in frustration, he set the tray down and bent over to help his cousin back into bed. "Luke will ya listen ta me for just once in your life?"

"All I was doin'…"

"Was tryin' ta help and let me tell ya something, Cuz, ya ain't helpin'," Bo said as he placed the covers back over the sick man. "Now, are ya up ta eatin'?"

"Not really," Luke admitted.

"Well, how about ya try eatin' a little bit anyway?" Bo suggested as he placed the tray on Luke's lap.

"Ya make this?" Luke asked as he warily looked at his cousin out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, I made it and I'll have ya know that Daisy and Jesse both think it's good too. Boy, first the animals and now you givin' me a hard time."

"Okay, okay, I'll eat some," Luke acquiesced while taking a spoonful of soup and eating it. Bo smiled as Luke gave him a look of surprise. "This is good."

"Told ya," Bo laughed as he sat down on the side of the bed. "Now eat some more."

Luke did as he was told and continued to spoon soup into his mouth. It was then he looked at his cousin with a questioning face. "What do ya mean by the animals are givin' ya a hard time?"

"Oh just the usual. Chickens pecking my fingers, the cow smacking me with her tail while I was milking her, and Nelson butting me from behind. Can't wait ta see what Maudine does ta me when I muck out her stall."

"Seems ya been busy," Luke said as lifted the spoon to his mouth but paused as he made a strange face.

"Luke, ya alright?" Bo asked worriedly.

"ACHOO!"

Bo flinched and closed his eyes tightly as he felt the soup spattering against his face, hair, neck, and shirt. He opened his eyes to see a sniffling, remorseful Luke looking back at him. "Oh Bo, I'm sorry, it just hit all the sudden…"

Bo held up his hand and sighed. "It's okay Luke," he said as he slowly stood up and went over to his dresser for a new shirt. "But that just shows ya how my entire mornin' has been goin'. Why should it change now?"

"Bo really, I'm sorry…"

"I know ya are, Luke and really, I'm not mad," Bo smiled, showing his cousin that what he said was true. "I guess I'll go change my shirt and wash up a bit. I'll be back in a little bit ta get those dishes," he said as he headed out the door towards the bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2

**All I can say is WOW! (and here I was thinking that this wasn't one of my better stories). Thanks for all the reviews and I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying it (you guys are great!) Okay on with chapter 2.

* * *

**

**Chapter 2: Afternoon Woes **

After cleaning himself and the lunchtime dishes up, Bo headed back out to the barn to finish the morning chores and to start on the evening chores too. He released Maudine and Millie to the small pen that was outside the barn so that he could clean out their stalls and breathed in a sigh of relief when neither of the two animals gave him a hard time. After mucking out the stalls, he returned with the hose to wash them down thoroughly since it hadn't been done for quite some time. Using the hose water he sprayed down the floor around the stalls and with the broom swept the wet remains out the back door.

Allowing the floors time to dry, he started releasing the goats out to the small pen so that he could start on their stalls. He quickly cleaned and washed them out just like the others and finished by washing down the floors. As those floors dried, he started laying fresh hay in the now cleaned stalls and fresh food and drinking water in the buckets. Bo realized that with taking care of his family that he had neglected to feed the animals and that they were really letting him know that they were miffed about that. As he was guiding Millie back to the barn, Bo was surprised as he felt himself being shoved and found himself sprawled out in the muddy, mucky water just outside the barn door. With his hair dripping with muddy water, he looked over his shoulder he saw Nelson with a very satisfied look on its face.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot," Bo grumbled as he pulled himself out of the puddle, once again rubbing his backside. Looking down, he saw that he was covered head to toe in the mucky water and sighed in disbelief. "Could anythin' else go wrong today?" Bo asked as he looked up into the sky. "Wait a minute, forget I asked that," he mumbled fearing he might have just jinxed himself. Putting Millie and then Maudine back into their stalls, Bo then finished the goats' stalls, making sure that they were fed and watered before herding them back inside. Sighing again as he looked at his muddy clothes, which were now beginning to harden, he made his way back to the house, stopping on the porch long enough to toe off his boots and strip down to his skivvies, quickly making his way back to his bedroom hoping that Daisy was still asleep.

As he entered his room, Luke stirred and stared at his very dirty and half naked cousin. "What happened ta you?" he asked in horse voice.

"Nelson," was all Bo would say as he grabbed another set of clean clothes and headed to the bathroom and a hot shower. Luke just shook his head and rolled over, borrowing deep within the blankets so that Bo wouldn't see him laughing. Quickly washing up and getting dressed in case one of the others needed to use the facilities he looked at the clock and realized that it was heading towards suppertime. Knowing that his culinary skills were severely limited, he frantically started searching through the cupboards again. Panic started setting in when he couldn't find anything suitable to make. As he stood there thinking about what he would do, the phone rang. Running over he quickly answered it before the ringing would wake everyone else.

"Duke residence, Bo speaking."

_"Hey Bo, Crazy C here."_

"Cooter, am I glad that ya called," Bo said in a relieved tone.

_"Well, I'm glad ta talk ta ya too. Just wonderin' if y'all had any plans on headin' out ta the Boar's Nest tonight?"_

"Uh, sorry Cooter. Everyone here but me is sick and I'm kind of in trouble here."

_"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"_

Bo could hear the concern in his friend's voice. "I need ta make them somethin' for supper…"

_"But you and cookin' are not the best of friends."_

"Yeah, ya could say that," Bo sighed as he ran a hand though his blonde hair. "And I already used all the canned soup up in the house…"

_"Say no more, Buddyroe. I'll stop over at the diner and pick somethin' up that y'all can eat." _

"You'll do that?"

_"Sure I'll do that. I can't keep subjectin' your family ta your cookin' now, can I?"_

"Thanks a lot, Cooter," Bo said in a sarcastic tone. "Really though, I appreciate what you're doin' for me."

_"Not a problem, Bo. Be there in about an hour. That work for ya?"_

"That sure does. Thanks again Cooter."

_"See ya in a bit, buddy."_

Bo sighed in relief and slumped against the wall as he hung up the phone.

As Bo waited for Cooter to arrive with the food, he continued feeding the rest of the animals, his mood matching many of the ornery critters. "Don't ya be blamin' me for bein' so late with your food, blame Nelson. He's the one that knocked me into the mud," Bo grumbled as he threw the seed down for the chickens.

Bo's smile grew when he saw Cooter's tow truck pulling up the driveway an hour later. He quickly finished what he was doing and ran over to meet the older man. "Oh Cooter, you are a life saver."

"Yours or your families?" Cooter asked with a mischievous look on his face.

"Cute Cooter," Bo said in mock hurt. "True, but cute. What'd ya bring?"

"Well after telling Ms. Higgens over at the diner what was happening, she filled up a large container of soup and some other soft foods like jello and pudding." Cooter turned and pointed out a pot of soup and two heavily laden brown bags that was sitting on the passenger side of the truck's seat.

"Cooter, there's got ta be two gallons of soup here," Bo said in astonishment.

"Yep, and it's on the house," Cooter smiled. "Ms. Higgens is still grateful for all the work that you, Luke, and Jesse did for her on her house this summer. Said that she had no idea how she was gonna get the damage fixed, that is until Uncle Jesse heard about it and volunteered y'all services."

"But it wasn't any big deal," Bo replied, still stunned at the generosity.

"Well she thought it was," Cooter said with a shrug. "Come on, let's get some of this heated up. Ya should have enough for a few meals for everyone and oh," Cooter said as he leaned back into the truck, "she sent this along knowing that soup wasn't gonna cut it for ya."

Bo took the bag Cooter handed to him and opened it. Inside was a complete fried chicken dinner including mash potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and coleslaw. "This is too much," Bo protested.

Cooter held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm just deliverin' the stuff, you're the one eatin' it."

A smile split Bo's face. "Well then, let's get inside and get everythin' ready and get everyone fed."

"Let's do it," Cooter said slapping his friend on the back as they walked into the house.

Two hours later, Bo and Cooter had everyone fed, and while Cooter did the dishes for Bo, the younger man helped Jesse and Luke to wash up a bit and change into clean pajamas. With Daisy, he left the washbasin, washcloth, towels, and pajamas out for her to use and change into and came back later to pick up everything. At first he felt guilty for not helping her but she quickly soothed him and told him that she was feeling better and that it wouldn't be a problem for her to do it herself. She laughed at the relief that she saw on his face.

After getting everyone settled in for the night, Bo and Cooter sat at the kitchen table relaxing as they drank some of the coffee that Cooter had made. "Thanks for your help, Cooter. Appreciate it."

"Anytime Bo," Cooter smiled back. "Just glad ta help. Just wish I could come over and help ya out tomorrow, but I have ta go ta Hotlanta and pick up some parts for the garage."

"Don't worry about it, Cooter. I should be able ta handle things a little better…I hope."

"Yeah, Luke told me what ya looked like after Nelson got a hold of ya."

"He told ya that huh?" Bo chuckled. "Well, at least I don't have ta do any major cooking thanks ta Ms. Higgens. After all this is over with, I'll have ta go over there and thank her personally."

"Ya know she'd like that," Cooter laughed. "She always says that you are one of her best customers, appetite wise at least."

After Cooter had left for the evening, Bo did a quick check on his patients and found them all safely tucked in, Luke included, and went to sit down on the couch to catch his breath. It was only a few minutes later that he was softly snoring.

* * *

The sunlight that was hitting him in the face is what woke him the next morning. Slowly Bo opened his eyes, wondering where he was at first, but quickly realized that he was still sitting on the couch. Lifting his head, he groaned at the stiffness that was in his neck and shoulders and he grimaced as he stood. Looking at the clock he saw that it was already six-thirty and remembered that he had three sick people in the house. He did a quick check on his family and sighed in relief when he found them all still sleeping soundly. 

After attending to the morning chores, he allowed himself a few moments to freshen up, and then he made himself a quick breakfast as he started making toast and tea for everyone else, along with the jello that Ms. Higgins had sent the night before. Taking a tray into each room, he had his cousins and uncle eat in the chairs that were in each room while he stripped the bed sheets and remade the beds.

"Uh Bo, what do ya think you're doin'?" Luke asked as he watched Bo working on his bed.

"Gonna wash the sheets," Bo answered as he tucked the end of a clean one underneath the mattress. Bo stopped what he was doing when he heard Luke choking. "You okay?"

"Fine," Luke answered in a strangled voice. "Did ya say that ya were gonna wash the sheets?"

"Yeah. They need ta be done. Why?"

"Do ya even know where the washin' machine is?"

Bo threw Luke a look that told the man that he wasn't amused. "Funny. Yes I know where the washin' machine is."

"Bo, ya don't know how ta do the laundry!"

"How hard can it be?" Bo shrugged. "Besides, I'm only doin' the sheets, not the clothes, although between you and Nelson, I might need ta do mine soon."

"Maybe ya better just wait until Daisy is feelin' better."

"I am perfectly capable of doin' the wash," Bo stated adamantly as he stood in front of Luke. "Besides, Daisy and Jesse don't have a problem with me doin' the sheets."

"That's because Daisy would be perfectly happy havin' one of us do the laundry for her all the time," Luke answered. Looking up at his cousin, he saw the look of hurt on Bo's face and sighed in resignation. "Okay, okay, ya can do it and I'm sure that you'll do a great job too".

"Thanks Luke," Bo grinned backed. "Ya ready ta get back inta bed?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope."

"Then I'm ready."

* * *

Throwing open the folding double-doors that hid it from the rest of the kitchen, there it stood…the one machine that could make most men cringe in fear. It was one thing if that machine had a carburetor, a gearshift, and a set of tires; that would be a machine that Bo Duke could handle, but this machine had none of those items. This machine instead had a motor that twisted and mangled clothes and sheets in water and then spun them so fast that it would make most men sick after only a few revolutions. No, this machine was much more dangerous than any car that he had ever driven...it was the dreaded washing machine. 

Bo knew it could have been worse; they still could have had that old wringer washer that had terrified him for years, the same machine that Luke had once told him the story about a man who had been flattened like a pancake when his arm had gotten caught by the wringers and was pulled all the way through. It was a harmless Halloween story that Luke had told to a seven-year-old Bo, but it scared the younger Duke so bad that he wouldn't even enter the kitchen, eating his meals in the living room instead. It took Uncle Jesse three months to convince Bo that that washing machine wasn't going to get him, about the same amount of time it took Luke to finally be able to sit back down without wincing in pain from the lashing his uncle had given him.

Bo shook is head of the memory of that washing machine and stood in front of newer one and shivered slightly at the feeling of intimidation that this one managed to give him. Taking a deep breath, he took a look at the knob and buttons that were on the panel behind the tub of the washer.

"Small…medium…large…delicate…normal…permanent press? What's a permanent press?" he asked himself as he scratched his head. Shrugging, he pushed the button for "Large" and then he turned the knob to " Normal" and stood there waiting for the machine to do something. "What's wrong with this thing?" His hand hit the side of the washer several times before he gave up on that idea. He went to twist the knob again when he accidentally pulled it and the washer started filling with water. "All right!"

He then started reading the box to see how much detergent to use. Carefully, he measured out the amount he thought that he needed and dumped it into the water. Next, Bo grabbed all of the sheets and started stuffing them into the washer, pushing in as many as he could. He smiled with pride when he managed to pack them all in, all the colors complementing each other. Closing the lid, his smile widened even more when the machine kicked into washing mode. "Well, all right!" he cried out happily, and turned to head outside to do some more chores.

A half hour later, after avoiding another run in with Nelson, Bo entered the back door to find the washing machine walking itself from its small cubbyhole into the kitchen, thumping all the way. Without even thinking, he went and grabbed the sides trying to muscle it back into place. He found himself in a losing battle when suddenly the machine just stopped. Looking up, he saw his pajama clad uncle standing there holding the power cord in his hand.

"Bo Duke, what in tar nation do ya think ya are doin'?"

"The laundry?"

Jesse could see that Bo was panting heavily from the exertion of fighting with the washing machine. "By wrestlin' with the danged thing?"

"Well, it wasn't in the middle of the kitchen when I left ta go outside," Bo explained. "Somethin' must be wrong with it."

"Let me take a look," Jesse said as he opened the lid. Looking inside, he saw how full it was. "Uh Bo? Just how many of the bed sheets do ya have loaded in there?"

"All of them."

"All of them? Well no wonder the washer was takin' itself for a walk," Jesse laughed.

"What? What did I do?" Bo asked in confusion.

"Ya put too much in. When it went ta spin the water out, the weight of the sheets knocked the washer out of balance. You're lucky that this thing didn't walk itself right out the door."

"What's goin' on?"

The two men turned to see Daisy standing by Luke holding him up against the kitchen doorframe. "Oh, nothing's wrong," Jesse smiled. "Bo's just doin' the laundry."

"But why's the washer in the kitchen?" Daisy asked in astonishment. She could see the look of embarrassment on Bo's face.

"Now don't ya fret none about that, girl," Jesse ordered. "Ya two just go on and get back ta bed."

"Hey Bo?" Luke called out with a grin on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Told ya ya should have waited for Daisy before doin' the laundry."

"Luke!" Jesse warned causing his oldest nephew to turn and stumble back to his room. Jesse turned and saw at the crestfallen look on Bo's face. "Now don't ya worry about any of this. How was ya ta know that the washer couldn't handle all off the sheets at once?" Bo just nodded his head.

Daisy moved over and gave him a hug. "I don't care what Luke says. I think it was nice of ya ta offer ta do the sheets for me. Thank ya, Sugar." Giving Bo another hug and a kiss on his cheek, she turned and headed off towards her room.

"See there? No harm done. Now let's get this machine pushed back against the wall and we'll take some of the sheets out."

"No Uncle Jesse, I'll do it. Ya get back ta bed," Bo pleaded, seeing how pale his uncle looked.

Jesse looked at his youngest and smiled. "All right, I'll get back ta bed, but if ya need anything, ya let me know."

"Okay. Thanks Uncle Jesse." Jesse patted Bo's cheek with his hand and shuffled back off to his room.

Shaking his head, Bo carefully pushed the washer back against the wall, after checking all of the connections first, and then removed half of bed sheets, shrugging slightly when he saw some of the sheets were slightly different in color. Plugging the washer back in, the machine started humming like it normally would, finishing its cycle a few minutes later. Pulling out the sheets that were now clean, Bo loaded in the other half and started the machine back up. Grabbing the basket he then headed outside to hang them on the clothesline.


	3. Chapter 3

**I think I'm getting this chapter thing down. This is the first story I've ever done this way and it took me a while to figure it out (probably would have helped if I actually read how to do it instead of just clicking away). Anyway, glad that you seem to be enjoying the story and now onto Chapter 3.

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**Chapter 3: Under Arrest…Again?**

Bo had just finished up with the lunch dishes when he heard the ominous rumble of thunder in the distance. Looking out the window he saw the dark clouds heading in and felt the temperature quickly dropping. He was soon out the door running towards the almost dry sheets.

He was in the midst of taking them down when he saw two patrol cars pulling into the driveway with the lights flashing. Bo ignored the lawmen as they got out of their vehicles and came over to where he was.

"Hey Bo," Enos shouted happily at his friend.

"Hey Enos," Bo answered. "How y'all doin?"

"I'm doin' just fine, Bo. How's Daisy, Luke, and Uncle Jesse?"

"Oh, there under the weather at the moment."

A look of concern crossed Enos' face. "That's too bad. Is that why you're doin' the laundry?"

"Yep, that's why I'm doin' the laundry," Bo smiled back. Bo could see that Rosco was getting impatient with the conversation but couldn't help but try and frustrate the sheriff even more. "Figured it was somethin' that I could at least handle."

"But why do the sheets look so funny?" Enos asked as he saw the Technicolor sheets.

Bo scratched his head in befuddlement as he answered. "I don't know. Somethin' must be wrong with the washer," Bo said as he took a good look at the sheets.

Before Enos could say anything else, Rosco broke in. "All right, Bo Duke, you're under arrest!" the sheriff shouted over the wind and another rumble of thunder.

"I'm what?" Bo asked as his hands hovered over the clothespins, getting ready to remove another sheet.

"Ya heard me. You're under arrest."

"What for?" Bo asked in disbelief.

"For robbing the Hazzard Bank, is what," Rosco answered as he pulled out his handcuffs.

Totally ignoring the man, Bo continued pulling the sheets off of the line. "Well first off, Rosco, I never robbed the bank and second, I was home all night."

"Can ya prove it?" Rosco asked, not believing a word the younger man was saying. "'Cause, you and Luke have been actin' suspicious all week."

"We have not," Bo protested as he threw another sheet into the basket as the sky rumbled once again. "In fact, we haven't even been in town all week."

"See, that proves ya two are actin' suspicious," Rosco countered as he pointed his finger at the younger man.

"Rosco, the reason I haven't even been in town the last couple of days is 'cause I've been fishin' with a friend of mine. Ya should know that since ya were there when I got the pass from Boss."

"That's right, Sheriff, ya were there," Enos acknowledged.

"Enos, just hush, ya dipstick," Rosco ordered.

"And since I've been gone, Luke's been here at the farm helpin' Uncle Jesse. He just plain hasn't had time ta even get ta town."

"Oooh, don't give me that," Rosco protested. "If anyone was gonna rob the bank, it would be ya two."

Bo hung his head and sighed in frustration. "Ya said that the bank was robbed last night, right?"

"That's right and ya should know."

"Well, I can say for a fact it wasn't me and Luke that did it since Luke is too sick ta even stand up without fallin' over," Bo countered. "Ya can ask Cooter. He was here helpin' me take care of everyone last night."

"Ahh, he ain't sick, he's just fakin' it."

"No he's not, Rosco. Like I said earlier, Uncle Jesse and Daisy are sick too. If ya don't believe me, come on inside and I'll show ya." Before Rosco could even answer, Bo picked up his basket full of clean sheets and headed inside, Rosco muttering all the way as the two lawmen followed.

Placing the basket on the table, Bo led Rosco and Enos to his and Luke's room and shushed the lawmen before opening the door. Together, they entered and Bo pulled back the blankets far enough so that the two lawmen could see the sleeping Luke.

"He looks sick ta me, Sheriff," Enos quietly said, not wanting to wake the sleeping man.

"Oh hush, Enos. Anybody can see that he's fakin' it," Rosco cried out as Bo tried his hardest to silence the man.

"Rosco, will ya be quiet!"

Luke woke with a start at the sight of the three men standing beside his bed. His eyes finally focused enough to see just who it was. "Bo? What's Rosco and Enos doin' here?" he mumbled as he pulled the blankets back up to his chin.

"Oh, they're just here ta arrest us for robbin' the bank."

"Again?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"I know that ya two did it, so ya might as well come along peacefully," Rosco ordered as he pulled the blankets off of Luke.

"Rosco!" Luke yelled as the cooler air hit his body causing him to shiver.

"Rosco, I already done told ya that Luke is sick. There is no way that he could have robbed that bank."

"Tidily, tudily, ya two are guilty and I know it."

Bo sighed heavily in frustration. "Luke, could ya do me a favor and stand up for Rosco?"

Luke stared at Bo in confusion. "What?"

"Can ya just do it, please?" Bo asked, sympathy lacing his voice.

Luke sighed and slowly sat up, trying to keep the room from spinning too quickly for himself. After a few more moments, he pushed himself up onto his feet and swayed as everything started shifting. Fortunately for Luke, Bo was ready for him and caught him as his knees buckled.

"See Rosco, I told ya that Luke couldn't have robbed that store. He's sick with the flu, the same as Daisy and Uncle Jesse."

"I still say he's fakin'," Rosco protested as another idea came to him. "But since you're not sick, you could have robbed it yourself."

"I couldn't have robbed it since I was here all night makin' sure everyone was okay."

"Rosco," Luke called out. "Bo's right. He was here all night, sleepin' in his own bed right there." Luke tried his best to point to the other bed but decided that wasn't a good idea when he tried to fall over.

"Okay Luke," Bo said as he held tightly onto his cousin. "Back into bed."

"Wait a minute," Rosco ordered, stopping the other two. "I came here ta arrest ya and that's exactly what I intend ta do."

"Rosco!" Bo cried out in disbelief.

"No arguing, just hold out your hands."

Bo and Luke first looked at each other and then Luke did his best to do as he was told, while Bo held onto him. Just as Rosco was going to place the handcuffs on Luke's wrists, the young man pulled back his arms and let out a large sneeze all over the front of Rosco's uniform. Rosco looked down at his once pristine uniform and grimaced.

"Oh, geez, Rosco," Luke sniffled while looking absolutely miserable. "I…I'm sorry. It just came out."

"Luke Duke, ya did that on purpose," Rosco shouted as he tried his best to wipe down the front of his shirt as Enos handed him a handkerchief only to have his hand slapped away by the older man.

"He got me yesterday with one of those sneezes too, Rosco," Bo laughed. "Just be grateful that he wasn't eatin' soup this time."

"Ya done scuffed my uniform," Rosco muttered as he turned and headed out the door, totally forgetting about arresting them.

"Sorry about this fellas," Enos apologized. "Say hi to Uncle Jesse and Daisy for me and tell them that I hope that they feel better soon."

"Will do, Enos," Bo promised as the younger lawman headed out the door.

The boys chuckled as they heard Rosco all the way through the house, sputtering and muttering until he was out the front door, and then they heard him cry out as he headed to his patrol car. Sitting Luke back down on the bed, Bo took a quick peek out the window. "That a boy, Nelson," Bo chuckled as he watched Rosco limp to his car now complaining about goats and scuffed posteriors as he batted away Enos' offer of help. Turning his attention back to his cousin, he smiled again as he saw Luke half lying in bed. "Come on, Cuz, let's get ya all the way back into bed." Luke mumbled some kind of response that Bo couldn't quite make out and pulled the covers back over the shivering man. "What'd ya say?"

"I said give Nelson an extra helpin' of food tonight."

"I'll do that," Bo laughed. "Thanks for coverin' for me about last night."

"What do ya mean?"

"I actually slept on the couch instead of my bed," Bo admitted.

Luke opened one eye to peek at his cousin. "What'd ya do that for?" he asked.

"Well I sat down for a minute and ended up fallin' asleep. My neck is still botherin' me," Bo complained as he rubbed a sore spot.

"Why don't ya take something and lie down for awhile."

"Love ta but the animals won't take care of themselves. Besides, I gotta get 'em all back into the barn before the storm hits." Just to prove his point, another rumbled was heard. "Go on and get some sleep. Everythin' should be fine now." Bo patted his cousin's shoulder and headed back outside.

He managed to get the General, Dixie, and the animals into the barn before the rain started falling…hard. So as he was waiting for the deluge to ease up just a bit, he decided to start some of the evening chores while he let the animals roam around the barn. He was in the midst of giving Maudine her food when he heard the barn door open. Expecting to see Luke leaning heavily against the doorframe wanting to help him again, he was surprised when two men came in instead, soaking wet.

"Can I help ya?" Bo asked as one of the men closed the door.

The two men turned around in surprise both whipping out guns as they did and pointing them directly at the unexpected man. At the sight of the weapons that were pointed at him, Bo's eyes widened in fright. "I thought that ya said this place would be empty," one of the men yelled out as he smacked the other's arm.

"Well I thought it was," the smaller of the two men replied.

"Well ya thought wrong," the other sarcastically replied. "Can't ya get anything right? All right, boy, get in there," the larger man said, pointing to Maudine's stall where he spotted a strong rope hanging on the nearby post.

Bo looked at the two men and saw the bulging sack that the smaller man was carrying. He quickly put it together who these two men really were. "You're the guys that robbed the bank."

"Yeah we are and we would've gotten away if someone hadn't bought a lemon for a car," the apparent leader replied as he gave his partner a disgusted look.

"How was I ta know that that car's radiator was gonna blow like that?" the smaller man answered in his defense.

"When ya buy a get a way car you're suppose ta be able ta get away in it, stupid," the other man yelled. He then turned his attention back to Bo. "Alright Blondie do as we say and ya won't get hurt. Now get in that stall."

Bo quickly wished that Luke was here with him to help even up the odds a bit, not that he couldn't out fight two men by himself, but two men with guns changed the odds and not to his favor. His mind whirled as he tried to think of a way to get out of this mess. "Uh, I'd like ta do that, but ya see Maudine there don't like it when someone's in her stall," he answered as he pointed to the mule.

"Ahh, ain't that too bad. Maudine will just have ta cope," the man answered as he waved his gun at Bo.

Seeing he really had no choice, Bo made his way into the pen. Upon seeing where the human was going, Maudine started braying at the intrusion of her stall and still being loose, made her way over plowing between the two gunmen knocking over the smaller man, causing him to drop the bag of money and his gun.

Nelson, seeing that his friend was upset, reared, and took off heading straight for the second gunman, butting him in the backs of his legs, causing him to lose his balance and fall flat on his face, the gun flying from his hand.

Bo had enough sense to duck out of Maudine's way before she forcefully entered her stall and he saw that the two men were both down. Before either of the gunmen could move, he quickly pulled the smaller one up and punched him squarely in the jaw, knocking him out. Letting him fall to the ground, Bo turned to face the other man who had gotten back up and was all set to take the young man down, that was until Nelson butted him once again causing him to crash into Bo, who just happened to catch him. Taking advantage of the situation, Bo pushed the man back and slugged him hard in the face, sending the man into unconsciousness.

Breathing heavily, Bo looked around and saw that the two men were out and turned to Nelson with a grin on his face. "Good boy, Nelson!" The small goat just stood there with a smug look on his little face and bleated in reply. Shaking his head as he laughed, Bo quickly tied up the two crooks and grabbed the General's CB calling Rosco to let him know that he had the two men and Boss' money.

The sheriff made record time in arriving at the Duke farm with Boss crying out happily at having his money back as Rosco and Enos cuffed and stuffed the two gunmen into their patrol cars. Bo just stood back and laughed at the whole situation after having explained everything to the rest of the family, who had gotten up when they had heard all of the commotion going on in the yard. Bo felt his uncle's scrutiny while he stood on the porch, avoiding the still falling rain, and watched the patrol cars drive down the road.

"Ya sure you're alright there, Bo?" Jesse finally asked.

"I'm fine, Uncle Jesse, really."

Daisy grabbed Bo's arm and pulled him into a small hug. "Ya could've been hurt and we wouldn't have even known about it."

"Daisy, I'm fine," Bo answered, pulling her into a tighter hug.

"I'm just glad that ya had some good help takin' those two characters out," Luke smiled, although still upset about the whole incident.

"Couldn't have asked for a better set of partners," Bo grinned back, reassuring all of them again that he was fine.

"Just don't ever scare us like that again, Bo Duke," Jesse admonished the boy as he pulled him into a strong hug.

"I'll do my best, sir."

"Now come on. Let's get inside where it's warmer and you can change out of them wet clothes," Jesse gruffly said as he herded his small family inside.

"I'd like ta do that Uncle Jesse but I'm afraid that I'm out of clean clothes at the moment."

"What happened ta all your clothes?" Daisy asked, knowing that Jesse had done the laundry the day before Bo had returned home.

Bo ducked his head and gave them a sheepish grin. "Between Luke and Nelson, I ran out."

"I can understand Nelson…he's always tryin' ta knock ya over," Jesse said nodding in understanding.

"He did," Bo answered.

"But how'd Luke ruin your clothes?" Daisy asked this time.

"He sneezed on me while eating his soup."

"Luke!" Daisy cried out.

"It was an accident," Luke said in his defense.

"Yeah but it was funny when ya sneezed all over Rosco," Bo chuckled as he started walking his cousin back to his room.

"Ya sneezed on Rosco too?" Jesse asked in astonishment, following his two boys to the bedrooms.

Luke stopped and shrugged. "Not on purpose."

"Got us out of being arrested though," Bo piped in.

"Arrested? For what?"

"Robbing the bank."

"That pea brain sheriff," Jesse muttered. "Here he was tryin' ta arrest ya and the real crooks were roamin' around the county like they owned the place."

"Not anymore," Luke grinned back causing the rest to smile with him.

With the adrenaline wearing off, Bo sighed a while later after finally getting the three sick family members back into their beds. He went and sat down on the couch to rest for a few moments thinking about how differently things could have turned out but grateful for the way they did. It was a few minutes later that he ended up falling asleep while sitting up once again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: I'm Just Tired**

A few days later everyone was finally up and about and Bo was truly relieved that his time as nursemaid was over. He was never so glad to see his family gathered around the table for breakfast but couldn't hide the yawn that was splitting his face.

"Bo, ya alright, son?"

"I'm okay, Uncle Jesse," Bo said with a smile. "I'm just tired is all."

"Well, I'm not surprised, especially after everythin' ya been through this past week," Jesse replied while visually checking the young man over, noticing that he did look worn out.

"Yeah, ya sure did a great job too," Luke spoke up, patting his cousin on the shoulder. "I know I wasn't makin' it any easier on ya."

"That's the truth," Bo laughed and pointed to himself. "Funny, Uncle Jesse always said that _**I**_ always made the worst patient,"

"Ya still do," Jesse confirmed with a smile of his own, as Bo stared back at him not quite believing that his uncle picking on him too. "Why don't ya take it easy today, Bo and get some rest. Ya deserve it."

"Ya sure do, sugar," Daisy quickly agreed, not even angry at him about her ruined sheets. "The rest of us will take care of things around here the rest of the day."

"Thanks Uncle Jesse," Bo answered gratefully as he tried to hide a sudden yawn. "I think I'll take ya up on that offer."

"Before ya do all that restin' could ya help me take a look at the General? He was acting up just after ya left for your fishin' trip."

"Sure, let's go," said Bo as he stood up and gripped the chair tightly as the kitchen started to spin.

"You okay Bo?" Luke asked as he grabbed onto his cousin's arm.

"Yeah, guess I'm more tired that I thought."

"Well why don't ya go lay down for a while then," Luke gently ordered.

"Naw, I'll be fine. Let's go check on the General. Seems the whole family took sick while I was gone."

"Sure looks that way," Luke smiled back as he headed out the door. Bo almost plowed into his older cousin when Luke suddenly stopped in front of him. "Hey Bo, is this what I think it is?" Luke asked as he pointed down at a pile of small bones and scales.

"Oh man, my fish!" the younger man cried out as he realized that he had completely forgotten about them after arriving back home.

"So much for that fish fry ya promised us," Luke chuckled.

"At least somethin' enjoyed them," Bo sighed as he toed the remains. "Well I guess y'all have proof that I actually caught some fish though."

"I'm not sure that a pile of bones is enough proof," Luke laughed as he patted his cousin on the back. "Come on, let's go work on the General." Bo just nodded and followed his cousin making a mental note to clean the small mess up after they were finished with the General.

It was about an hour later that Bo stood there watching Luke putting the carburetor back together, rolling his shoulders as he tried to relieve some of the stiffness that he was still feeling in his neck from sleeping on the couch. As Bo stood there, his eyes began closing only to pop back open and then blinking them rapidly, struggling to stay awake.

While placing the cover back onto the carburetor, Luke heard a strange but familiar noise and turned to look up at his cousin. He couldn't help but grin when he saw Bo standing there…fast asleep.

"Bo," Luke quietly called out, not wanting to scare the younger Duke. He then placed his hand on Bo's shoulder and gave him a light shake. "Bo, come on, wake up."

"What's the matter, Luke," Jesse asked after having come out of the barn and seeing the two boys standing there.

Luke couldn't stop laughing as he pointed to Bo. "He fell asleep."

Jesse looked at his youngest with a look of disbelief on his face. "He's asleep?"

"Yep, listen."

Jesse chuckled when he heard Bo's snoring. "I always said that boy could sleep while standing and he just prove it."

"Guess he meant it when he said that he was tired this mornin'."

"Well, we can't leave him like that so let's get him inside sos that he can get some proper rest," Jesse said as he motioned for Luke to grab Bo's other arm. Luke did as he was told and together the two of them managed to get the still sleeping Bo back into the house and into his bed.

Some time later, Bo slowly woke up realizing that he was wrapped up securely in blankets and quilts and that it was dark outside. Finding himself in his room and in his bed, he slowly sat up to find Luke lying down in his own bed reading a magazine.

"Well, it's about time ya woke up," Luke grinned back as sat up in bed. "Ya been asleep all day."

"What time is it?" Bo asked as he sat there scratching his head and yawning.

"About eight thirty. You've been asleep since after breakfast."

"I thought we were workin' on the General?" Bo asked as fuzzy memories of the morning came back to him.

"We were until ya decided ta fall asleep," Luke smiled back.

"I did?" Bo asked his eyes wide in amazement.

"Yep."

Just then the door to their room opened and in walked Jesse with a tray loaded with large bowl of stew, bread, and a glass of milk. Placing the items on the nightstand he turned and smiled at his youngest. "Well there, I was just comin' in ta wake ya. Did ya have a good nap?" Jesse asked as he reached down and ruffled his nephew's hair.

"What happened," a confused Bo asked as he scooted up to lean against the headboard, trying to remember how he got to his room.

"Well," Luke smiled back, "like I said, ya fell asleep…standin' up."

"I did not," Bo protested.

"Ya sure did," Jesse confirmed, placing the tray on Bo's lap. "Now eat that." Bo didn't have to be told twice as he hungrily dug into the meal.

He looked up at his cousin and uncle and swallowed. "How'd I get in here?"

"Well, since ya were still standin' we just walked ya in," Jesse chuckled. "Ya should have seen the look on Daisy's face when we told her that ya were actually sleepin'."

"Just be prepared though, Bo." Luke warned.

"For what?" he asked around a mouth full of food.

"Daisy took a picture of you standing in the middle of the livin' room, sound asleep."

"Oh no," Bo groaned, knowing that Daisy would use that picture to her advantage later on. "I'm in big trouble."

"Afraid so," Luke answered sympathetically.

"Ya gotta help me find that negative, Luke," Bo said, worry clearly written on his face. "Who knows what she'll think up ta blackmail me into doin'."

"Take it easy, Bo," Luke said in a calming voice. "She promised that she wouldn't do anything for a while."

"That's what really scares me," Bo replied as he shrank down into bed.

"Naw, she said that she would be nice ta you for a while especially since ya took good care of us whiles we were all sick," Jesse chimed in.

"I'm not so sure about that," Bo grumbled as he finished his dinner, his own self doubt kicking in.

Jesse went to pick up the tray and stopped, staring back at his youngest. "What do ya mean by that?"

"Well, look at what happened," Bo argued, turning away from the other two men. "I burned the toast, tried ta break the washin' machine, Nelson…"

"Bo, we all know that ya did your best," Luke broke in, effectively stopping his cousin's tirade. "Heck, we all realize how hard it must have been tryin' ta take care of not only the three of us but the rest of the farm as well."

"Sure we do," Jesse agreed. "Besides, you've never had ta do anythin' like that by yourself before. One of us was always around ta help ya out."

"Could have done better," Bo complained.

"Now Bo, give yourself some credit," Jesse ordered. "Runnin' a farm and takin' care of a family is one of the hardest jobs a man can do and ya can trust me on that. Besides, we didn't exactly cooperate now did we?" Jesse asked as he pointedly looked at Luke. Bo just shrugged his shoulders.

"And those two bank robbers showin' up isn't somethin' that happens everyday either," Luke added, purposely ignoring his uncle's look.

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothin' young man," Jesse scolded. "Those two fellas could have easily hurt ya or worse and the rest of us wouldn't have known about it until it was too late. Ya did what ya needed ta do and everythin' turned out just fine."

"If ya say so," Bo mumbled, not really sure that he believed the two men but felt better knowing that they were proud of him for what he did. Bo suddenly found his eyes closing on him once and again and he snuggled back down into his pillow. Jesse pulled the blankets and quilts back up to his nephew's chin and grinned at the yawn Bo let loose.

The two older Duke men both stared and smiled when they heard the light snoring coming from the younger man. "He did good," Luke quietly said.

"That he did," Jesse agreed, as he made sure that Bo was secure in his covers. "It's good ta know that ya three kids can take care of things by yourselves, if need be."

"Ya taught us well, Uncle Jesse," Luke grinned back.

"I guess I did," Jesse smiled back. "I guess I did."

The End

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**That's it and thanks for reading, and to the rest of you authors out there, keep up the great work. Even though I sometimes don't tell you enough, I've been enjoying all your stories too! Take care!**


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